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In this section you will find detailed information, including national overviews and state and regional level assessments, from the 2000-2002 National Land and Water Resources Audit theme assessments.
Water resources - Overview - Queensland
Basin & Surface Water Management Area: Tully River
Introduction
The Tully River SWMA has a catchment area of 1683 sq km and is bordered by the Cardwell Range and the Table Top Range. The Tully River flows initially westward to Koombooloomba Dam and changes direction below Koombooloomba Dam from north to a south easterly direction to Tully from where it flows eastwards to the Coral Sea.
The mean annual rainfall for the 50 year period 1920 to 1969 varies between varies from 3200 mm to 4800 mm. The climate is wet tropical. The major creeks and rivers in the catchment are the Tully River, Cochable Creek, Jarra Creek and Koolmoon Creek .
The major storage is Koombooloomba Dam on the Tully River with a capacity of 205023 ML. Water use is for sugar cane and agriculture (i.e.bananas).
Vital Statistics:
| Area: | 1,683 Km2 |
|---|---|
| Total storage volume: | 205,789 |
| Total surface water use: | 1,395 ML/yr |
| Development category: | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| Mean annual run-off: | 3,177,000 ML/yr |
A four-class classification system was developed to provide a simple method to communicate the status of the use and allocation of Australia's water resources in relation to sustainable water management.
It is important to recognise that adequately quantifying a sustainable flow regime or sustainable yield and consequent operating rules is a complex matter. State, Territory and scientific agencies continue to develop and apply methods and measures for determining sustainable flow regimes and sustainable yields.
This categorisation provides a general guide only. Please refer to the State and Territory Overview and Technical reports for detail on the analysis methods used.
| Category | Development status | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | <30% | Low development | |
| 2 | 30 - 70% | Moderate development | |
| 3 | 70 - 100% | Highly developed | |
| 4 | 100% | Overdeveloped |
* Water use as a percentage of sustainable flow regime (surface water) and sustainable yield (groundwater)
PLEASE NOTE:
Sustainable Yield:
No sustainable yield studies are available for this SWMA.
PLEASE NOTE:
Categorisation:
No sustainable yield studies are available for this SWMA.
There is a low level of development in this SWMA with the main development being a hydro power station.
How saline are the surface water resources in the Tully River surface water management area?
No data were available about the salinity of surface water resources in the Basin / SWMA for the Australian Water Resources Assessment 2000.
Major water storages
Table: Major water storage areas:
| Storage name: | Capacity (ML) |
|---|---|
| Koombooloomba (Tully R) | 205,023 |
| Tully Falls | 766 |
| Kareeya Power Station (Tully R) | no data |
| Total | 205,789 |
Further Information
- View the Queensland Water Resources Assessment 2000 Report
- View the Queensland Water Resources Assessment 2000 Technical Report
- Link to data available for download on the:
- Surface Water Management Areas
- Data from the 1985 Review of Australia's Water Resources and Water Use
- Link to the Map Maker to make a map using this information.
- For more information about water and other natural resource issues link to www.nrm.qld.gov.au.
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